


light pink sky, up on the roof

by RippingOffZeppelin



Category: St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
Genre: Gen, Kevin POV, andrew mccarthy was gay in this the 80s were just cowards, i just rewatched this movie and for personal reasons needed to rewrite this scene thank you, it's niche boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-25
Updated: 2019-09-25
Packaged: 2020-10-28 01:16:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20770103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RippingOffZeppelin/pseuds/RippingOffZeppelin
Summary: "but it's Jules, it's Jules in her satin pink robe and bright pink apartment, brand new Billy Idol mural watching over them like some sort of pop God and it's always been different with Jules, she's soft around the edges but she's razor sharp with things like this."orA conversation that goes a little different





	light pink sky, up on the roof

**Author's Note:**

> joel schumacher i trust you with so much but making kevin straight was a pussy move dude
> 
> title from: 'It's Nice To Have A Friend' by Taylor Swift

Kevin's learned to be weary of one on one Jules time over the years. So a flip of her fluffy blonde hair and a smack of cherry lips to his cheek as she makes him_ 'promise Kev, bible promise'_ to come over to her newly refurbished apartment tonight _'I know you're free don't even try and lie'_ has him suspicious of her motives near immediately. He loves Jules but she's a meddler and she's unrelenting in a way that's honestly quite impressive when it's not directed at you, so all of that mixed with the fact they haven't had an up all night talk for a year or two leaves him with the distinct feeling of being ambushed. He still says yes, of course, it's Jules.

-

"What do you think?" she asks leading the way in, shedding her jacket as she walks

"Very subtle" he says taking it all in, the neon lights, the monochrome, the _glitter _"Very pink" it's a jab, but she takes it as a compliment. It's something he's always liked the most about Jules, how she can manipulate things her way, she grins, pushing him into the kitchen to fetch drinks before springing off to change.

"I knew you'd like it, you have such sensitivity" it's a jab, but he takes it as a joke "I want you to meet my decorator Ron, he's so fabulous and he lives right across the hall" and that's- new, in their whole lifetime of being friends he doesn't think she's ever wanted him to meet anyone she knows that he doesn't already, especially someone _fabulous_. It's the cargo pants probably, or the dirty sneakers.

"Ron?" 

"Yeah"

"Huh"

She emerges from her room in her second best light pink silk robe; it's probably a testament to the too long length they've known each other that he can distinguish it on sight. 

"Anyway" she starts, plucking a glass from his hand as she passes on her way to the couch, "Let's chillax together Kev" he laughs, unable to do anything but trip after her, lighting up cigarettes for both of them. Her drink's already done when he falls down next to her so he wordlessly passes his over along with a smoke.

"Jules why do I feel like I'm not here to 'chillax'?"

"Well I have been needing to talk to you" and it's her tone that pushes the original suspicion into alarm bells, he sits up a little straighter 

"Sounds like one of our infamous conversations is coming, like when you met my parents and decided I was adopted, remember that?"

"I still think you're mother is hiding something" she sniffs and he laughs again, has to at how Jules it all is

"Yeah"

She throws back the drink like a shot and they lapse into a silence that hangs ominously over him as Jules' eyes bore into the side of his head, he can see her pursing her glossy lips in his periphery and wonders if she'll make him get to the end of his cigarette before she springs whatever this is on him, leaving him no distraction. He pulls out another one just in case.

She's not so evil it turns out, it's only halfway burnt down before she places her empty glass on the coffee table and turns to face him fully.

"Kevin I'm curious, you remember all those night we stayed up talking?"

"Course"

"How come you never made a pass at me?" and it's honestly so surprising it takes him a moment to realise she's still talking over the sound of his own heartbeat thumping in his ears;_ 'don't you think i'm attractive?... only guy at school who never...'_ he can feel his breath getting caught somewhere in his chest, having to fight it's way out. Because this is Jules and he knows Jules which means despite what people would probably think hearing this conversation play out she's not asking for an ego stroke, she's not looking for an 100% approval rate from Georgetown. It means she _Knows_. His breathing is shaky and she can obviously tell because she lays a gentle hand on his thigh

"It's ok Kevin" she says and it's kinder than he's ever heard those words before and she's looking at him, the way only Jules can, like she's reading straight through his bullshit because it's the same as hers, because it's the same bluff, the same cigarette smoke screen. His vision is tinging black around the edges and he honestly thinks he might pass out right here on a too expensive too plush couch stacked high with too many sparkly pillows and a girl he should by all rights probably hate but instead finds more comfort in than anyone he's ever met; because they're different in all the ways that don't matter and the same in the ones that do.

And that's just it isn't it? Because he could deny it, God knows he's gotten good at that but it's _Jules_, it's Jules in her satin pink robe and bright pink apartment, brand new Billy Idol mural watching over them like some sort of pop God and it's always been different with Jules, she's soft around the edges but she's razor sharp with things like this. Old words from one of those many nights they stayed up burning through a crumpled pack of cigarettes together echo through the moment _'I may be a ditz you know, like I am- I can be I get it, but I know love, I know it'_ she'd said, eyes red from crying over some new asshole who didn't deserve the care she put into him_ 'it's so important, it's as honest as we ever are you know? I mean it Kev, and I love you- you know I love you"_ And he loves her, he loved her then and he loves her now. Honest she'd said. As honest as we ever get. She probably knew back then too.

"You want me to meet Ron huh?" is what he manages to get out, voice cracking, but it's enough. Her eyes are bright where they're staring into his, she smiles softly at him grabbing his hand and holding it in both of hers

"He's fabulous" 

"Like your apartment is fabulous?"

"Like you're fabulous" she tells him seriously, he laughs and is horrified to hear it come out watery, he tries to pull his hand back but she just holds on tighter bringing it up to her lips and kissing his knuckles. "You're one of a kind babe, one of the good ones" she says squeezing his fingers before finally letting him go, letting him retreat back inside himself- back behind his brooding tortured writer wall, away from the _too much-ness_ of this moment, of that part of himself "And I love you always"

"I love you too Jules" he says before he can talk himself out of it and it's worth it for her smile. He coughs, looking away and trying to get his heart rate to settle, he didn't say it out loud but that's the closest he's been to admitting it to something more substantial than his bathroom mirror and she knows and she loves him.

"Maybe you can start trying to be happy now huh?" she says picking up the glasses and heading back to the kitchen to refill them.

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath in and allowing himself one self indulgent pitiful moment to think about Alec's warm brown eyes and deep round laugh and the way he grabs onto Kevin's bicep with strong wide hands to pull him into crushing hugs. He breathes out, blinking his eyes open to stare at one of the many pink, pink walls, then breathes some more smoke into his lungs.

"Maybe"

**Author's Note:**

> pour one out boys


End file.
